


Vignette of Worries

by SaraJaye



Series: Shadowed Prisms: The Cindered Shadows AUs [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: CSAU1, Cats, Felix Hugo Fraldarius is Bad at Feelings, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, Mentioned Parental Abandonment, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Tea and Sympathy, Teacher-Student Relationship, Worried Felix, impromptu therapy session, mentioned parental death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:29:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25383862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: Felix is unusually tense about someone he claims to hate, and Randahl is sympathetic.
Relationships: Implied Felix/Dimitri
Series: Shadowed Prisms: The Cindered Shadows AUs [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1835785
Kudos: 2





	Vignette of Worries

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sorakh28](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorakh28/gifts).



"I think that's enough for tonight," Randahl said. "You won this round, Felix, but I learned a lot from you. Thanks for the match!" Felix frowned, his hand still gripping the hilt of the training sword.

"It's probably not even dark yet, are you seriously cutting out on me?" he asked, just as the doors opened to reveal a dark sky and an incoming Byleth. Felix grumbled sheepishly, but to be fair to him Randahl had lost track of the time as well.

"Everyone else is in their rooms by now, you two," the professor said. "I think you should go to bed. It is a school night."

"Sorry, Prof," Randahl said. Felix shrugged.

"I guess." But he was reluctant to put the sword back on the rack, and not necessarily because he didn't want to stop training. His gait was a bit unsteady despite a lack of injuries, and he took a few moments to turn back to them, sighing as he did.

"Everything okay, Felix?" Randahl asked.

"Fine. Everything's fine." He squared his shoulders. "I'm going to bed." But Randahl knew better, Felix had been acting particularly antsy since Byleth and the house leaders had discovered the Abyss, and even more now that the leaders were going on semi-regular missions for it. Felix claimed he hated Dimitri and Randahl had overheard him warning the professor that the prince was a wild animal, but neither she nor Randahl bought it.

"I was going to make some tea," Byleth said. "Maybe a cup would help you two relax?" Randahl had actually been sleeping fairly well these days, but he knew the professor didn't want to make Felix feel singled out. Besides, tea sounded good after five matches in a row.

"We have plenty of the four-spice blend in the kitchen," he said. "I checked earlier while I was-"

"Getting food for your cats?" Felix actually smiled, and Randahl blushed. He tried not to raid the kitchens for cat food if he could help it, but he hadn't had a chance to go fishing with all the rain they'd had lately, and Fionn and Duibhe needed to eat.

"Pretty much. But I was also helping Bernadetta out!" he said. Byleth smiled.

"Let's go, then." The moment the doors opened, the familiar black and white blurs ran to Randahl, meowing at his feet, and he laughed. They were either waiting for him all that time or they just _knew_ someone was talking about them. They probably wanted a snack, too.

"You think I could get away with taking them into the kitchen?" he asked. Felix rolled his eyes.

"Prof and I will make the tea and get some food. You wait outside with them." He could sound rude, but by now Randahl was starting to figure out Felix was just not good with people. Like Bernadetta or Marianne, but instead of running and hiding or never making eye contact, he sharpened his tongue on purpose.

He waited patiently at a table in the courtyard, watching Fionn and Duibhe chase a bug here or there, and soon Byleth and Felix returned with three cups of tea and a plate full of cookies (for himself and the professor) and dried meat (for Felix). And of course, fish for the kitties. While his furry friends munched away, the three humans sat quietly and sipped their tea.

Randahl and the professor kept an eye on Felix, though. It was hard, worrying about a classmate but not wanting to pry. Randahl himself had certain secrets he'd rather nobody found out. But Felix kept sighing, tapping his foot nervously, staring into his cup, shaking his head. Almost like he _wanted_ to talk.

"I'm sure Dimitri is fine," Byleth said. Felix's jaw clenched, his eye twitching.

"Of course he is. This is the _boar_ we're talking about," he muttered. "As long as the princess and the Alliance heir keep their eye on him I'm sure he won't kill anyone." A pause. "Or jump in the line of fire and die gloriously so _idiots_ can write stupid stories about how _brave_ and _noble_ he was." His eye twitched again and he took an angry bite of a piece of meat, chewing like the wild animal he likened Dimitri to.

The professor's eyes widened, and Randahl stopped in mid-bite of a cookie. Felix swallowed, caught their glances, and immediately began to scramble out of his chair.

"I'm going to my room. Thanks for the tea, I'm not-"

"Felix." Randahl held up a hand. "You want to talk about it, don't you."

"You're afraid for him," Byleth added. Felix was still for a long moment, breathing deeply before he reached into his pocket and set something down on the table.

"This spur is all I have left of my brother. My brother, the celebrated knight who went to Duscur with the King and the boar. My brother who promised he'd be back before I knew it, ruffled my hair, and called me kiddo." He shook his head. "I was thirteen years old and he was still treating me like a little kid, I told him I'd kick his ass if he did that when he came back. But he never came back."

"Felix..." The professor's eyes softened, but Randahl's closed as he found himself thrown back into his own past. His mother, suddenly gone one day, then his father leaving him with Seteth before he turned his back on everyone and everything. How it had taken him years to figure out that she'd died protecting him, her only child, from humans during the war.

It wasn't the exact same as Felix's situation, but it still hurt.

_We could have missed her together. You could have seen me grow and get stronger, and we could have worked together to keep her memory alive._

He opened his eyes and placed a hand on Felix's shoulder. Felix tensed, glancing warily at him.

"Don't feel sorry for me."

"I don't. I understand what you're going through," Randahl said. "My parents are gone. That's why Seteth and Rhea have been taking care of me for the past...many, many years." Felix nodded.

"I wondered about that. Seteth always acts like you're his brother or something, and Rhea like she's your mother." Randahl tensed slightly. _Close, Felix, but no Caledonian Crayfish._

"Pretty much. My parents...are not something I like to talk about much." His hand went to his hair, smoothing it over one of his well-hidden ears. "Sorry, you just told me all that about your brother, but-"

"It's fine. I figured I might as well before the professor pried it out of me." Felix shrugged. Byleth rolled her eyes.

"I do not _pry_ things out of people. I'm simply curious."

"Right, and Sylvain simply appreciates girls' chests and Ingrid simply appreciates good food," Felix snorted, and Randahl stifled a snicker.

"He's got you there, Prof." Byleth smiled wryly.

"Do you feel any better now that you've admitted it, Felix?" Felix looked like he was about to deny it all over again, but then he sighed, staring into his teacup.

"It's so hard when you hate someone, but you don't want them to die, either."

"I've never really felt that," Randahl said, "but I can imagine it isn't easy."

"If that idiot gets himself killed..." Felix ran a hand through his hair, draining the last of his tea. Byleth patted his shoulder.

"He won't. He, Edelgard, and Claude can more than handle themselves and we all know it."

"And the Abyss isn't even dangerous! Other than the incident with-" He cut himself off, remembering Rhea's insistence that the whole incident with Umbral Beast Alferic remain under wraps. A pang of irritation suddenly went through him; _I know she just didn't want anyone to panic, but..._ "Never mind." Luckily, Felix didn't question it.

"I know, I _know._ It's just..."

"It's okay to be worried," Randahl said. "You don't have to admit it to _Dimitri,_ but you can talk to us." Fionn and Duibhe pranced over to the table, meowing. "And to them. They can't speak human so they won't tell anyone anyway." Felix smiled a little.

"You make it hard to say no, Randahl. I mean, you're a strange guy at times, but you're a good guy, too." Randahl laughed.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Duibhe hopped onto Felix's lap, and Felix seemed to relax even more as he petted the cat. He did open up more about his brother, mostly the funny memories of stuff Glenn did that annoyed him.

 _Sometimes as much as we love people, they bug us._ Again, Randahl's thoughts went to his aunt. And the way Flayn griped about Seteth's overprotectiveness. _But that's how relationships are, huh._


End file.
